Generally, if a user desires to access information residing on an intranet or Internet server, they must have direct access to a device having a wired connection to the intranet or Internet, the device further having a TCP/IP protocol stack running. Although devices of this sort are fairly common now, they require a direct physical connection, e.g., via a dedicated high speed network or a dial-up network. This is inconvenient for a user that is mobile, since they must access one of these connections using either a modem (in that case of dial-up access) or a network adapter that supports TCP/IP.
Even with cellular telephone connections, the user is faced with an extremely inefficient information transfer because the TCP/IP protocol stack must run on top of an asynchronous protocol such as PPP (point-to-point protocol) which is commonly used to access dial-up Internet services. The result is an expensive, inefficient connection that requires high bandwidth to convey information to the user. Moreover, present Internet browser software requires several megabytes of memory to execute on a portable or other computing device. Furthermore, presentation of retrieved information in a format resembling that intended by an author or publisher of a document (e.g., an intended mode of presentation) requires a fairly large information display. These constraints are clearly not practical when considering the small amount of memory available, and small display size of portable personal messaging devices, since the retrieved information cannot be presented in large screen formats associated with conventional Internet browsers. Lastly, the markets in which such portable personal messaging devices are sold require that the device have extended operation time while away from typical alternating current power sources, and that the device remain portable, e.g., weighing only several hundred grams at most.
Consequently, what is needed is an apparatus that allows a mobile user to efficiently access Internet resources while maintaining extended battery life.